Seeing the penaltys

[Ref inSoCA]

You are looking for fouls. Penalties are punishment for the fouls.

[waltjp]

Huts, you've gotten some good advice here. I attended a clinic a few years back with some NFL and NCAA officials. I won't mention a name because I'm not sure who it was that said it, but we were told that officials progress through phases.

In the first phase, like you're describing, the game seems to move at 100 MPH and everything is a blur. You can't tell a hold from a block in the back.

As you continue the game starts to slow down and soon you're seeing EVERYTHING. You have holding against the OLB on the other side of the field. You see a facemask at the LOS when the ball carrier is in your zone. Etc, etc... And you flag each and every one of these offenses.

And then, you learn to watch what you're responsible for and start making better decisions on the field.

Hang in there. Work as much as you can. Ask questions and listen to the answers.

[schmitty1973]

After a while you'll see the fouls getting ready to happen before they actually do.

[bossman72]

Guys I'm in the same boat as the original poster. I've been doing baseball at the high school and college level for a number of years. In baseball, everything happens basically in one spot - where the ball is. I'm having the same exact problem seeing what everyone is doing.

One thing I need help on - when I DO call a penalty, I never get the number of the guy because I turn my attention to something else and officiate the rest of the play. It's easy on some penalties to ID and say "right tackle" or "near wide receiver," but most of the time I throw a flag then keep officiating elsewhere. The coach always asks what number and I never have it for him and feel like a moron and like I can't justify my penalty unless I get one. Do you guys have any tricks on how to get the number of the person who committed the foul?

[jjrye22]

If I'm on the sideline I repeat the numbers of my key and his opponent to myself at least three times as everyone is getting set (sometimes more).
After a play has progressed there is not much else you can do, except try to remember to take a look at the number when you see the foul, and repeat it to yourself.
And sometimes you will never get the number.

Try hard and do what you can, but just slot in in as something you need to (and can) improve on.

I'm ALWAYS forgetting to punch back on backwards passes.

[ref1986]

Originally Posted by bossman72

Guys I'm in the same boat as the original poster. I've been doing baseball at the high school and college level for a number of years. In baseball, everything happens basically in one spot - where the ball is. I'm having the same exact problem seeing what everyone is doing.

One thing I need help on - when I DO call a penalty, I never get the number of the guy because I turn my attention to something else and officiate the rest of the play. It's easy on some penalties to ID and say "right tackle" or "near wide receiver," but most of the time I throw a flag then keep officiating elsewhere. The coach always asks what number and I never have it for him and feel like a moron and like I can't justify my penalty unless I get one. Do you guys have any tricks on how to get the number of the person who committed the foul?

You're at the point where it's no longer a blur out there. You're seeing fouls, but you're coming into the play late. What I mean by that is generally you're seeing the end of the foul. You see an offensive player with his arm wrapped around the defender, so you have a hold. You see an offensive player with his hands in the middle of the defender's back and the defender goes flying, so you have a BIB. You miss the culprit's number because you only saw the end of the foul before you had to continue officiating.

You're not seeing the foul before it happens, and that only comes with experience. With experience you'll be able to see that the LB has crossed the TE's face, so there might be a hold. You'll be able to see the angle that the WR has on the DB as the DB moves up to make the tackle, so there might be a BIB. When you see the whole play you'll find it's not hard to get the number. Obviously there are some you can't -- a mass of defenders and one of them grasps the facemask. But you'll get most of them. Keep focusing and it will come.

[patalia]

Hut, one of the main differences between you and the veteran officials is that they are not having to think as much as you are. They are working a well-established routine which you do not yet have. As everyone else has said, you are probably trying to do too much. I am assuming you are working wing positions and will continue to do so for a while, yet. Right now, you need to work on identifying formations and your pre-snap signals to your far wing and learn to read your key. Midget ball is almost always going to be a run, but as you get the bigger kids, you are going to have to be able to do this to prevent yourself from getting caught out of position on pass plays with a four man mechanic. Knowing your key and the players and section of the field you are responsible for will help slow the game way down for you. Having the head knowledge of what to do and actually getting your body to do it are two seperate things. It is numerous snaps that mesh the two together. As others have said, once you get this down, you add a couple of other things you feel you need to focus on since keys and players your responsible for are now second nature. Don't get frustrated with where you are, just work on getting better. These early days are something everyone had and has to go through. It's just part of it-no substitute for snaps. All of us have gone through this time where it feels like they are always snapping the ball before you are ready. Again, don't worry or get rattled, just do what you can on that play. Pretty soon, you will be twiddling your thumbs waiting on them to finally snap the ball. Football officiating is a lot like a golf swing, it gets good when you don't have to think about the mechanics of it. One other thing that might help you. You will be ten times better the next time you work, because you are mentally processing the games you worked and you have gotten the butterflies out of the way. The next time you will get that nervous is your first varsity game and your first white hat assignment. Good luck and keep studying.

[hutsunuwu84]

Thanks for the advice I do appreciate being able to pick the minds of as many veterans as I can. Anything I can do to learn